Summer art programs, scholarships, and math

Acera students (left to right) Mira Lubashev, Lila Ellis, Jack Vollaro, Henry Levenson, Mirai Nishioka, and Henry Geissbuhler placed first in the state in the Purple Comet Math Meet. Acera School

It’s not too late to draw some fun for your kids’ summer in Lowell and the Merrimack Valley. The Whistler House Museum of Art on 243 Worthen St. offers its Youth Summer Art Program for children ages 10 to 14. Sessions last a week long and focus on drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking and collage. Classes are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and cost $175 a week. The first session begins on July 8, but registration is currently open. Scholarships are available. Contact 978-452-7641 or [e-mail] for more information.

The Merrimack Valley Credit Union of Lawrence recently awarded $8,000 in scholarships to seven local high school seniors. The credit union evaluated applicants by their work experience, academic performance, community involvement, and personal essays that detailed their financial knowledge. Seniors from Lawrence, Tewksbury, Methuen, Merrimac, Middleton and Haverhill received $1,000 scholarships. A senior from Newburyport received a $2,000 scholarship. More than 170 applications from 24 schools were reviewed.

Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers has received a $100,000 grant to benefit the school’s construction programs. Essex Tech received a grant from the Cummings Foundation’s “$100k for 100” program. A portion of the money will go to revamping the gym and performing arts center, creating new classrooms to accommodate growing enrollment, and rebuilding the campus’s Catherine Larkin Memorial Practice Cottage. Essex Tech students will be involved with all stages of the projects and will also learn how to make the spaces more environmentally efficient.

Students at Acera: The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity and Leadership in Winchester won first in the state and 15th internationally in the Purple Comet Math Meet. Approximately 2,800 teams from 55 countries participated. Purple Comet is a free, online, international math competition for high school and middle school students which has been conducted since 2003.